What Technology Wants (58 page)
Read What Technology Wants Online
Authors: Kevin Kelly
284 Total Patent Applications and Scientific Articles:
United States Patent and Trademark Office. (2009) “U.S. Patent Activity, Calendar Years 1790 to Present: Total of Annual U.S. Patent Activity Since 1790.”
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/h_counts.htm
; Stephen Hawking. (2001)
The Universe in a Nutshell
. New York: Bantam Books, p. 158.
United States Patent and Trademark Office. (2009) “U.S. Patent Activity, Calendar Years 1790 to Present: Total of Annual U.S. Patent Activity Since 1790.”
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/h_counts.htm
; Stephen Hawking. (2001)
The Universe in a Nutshell
. New York: Bantam Books, p. 158.
285 artificial learning machine can recognize:
Irving Biederman. (1987) “Recognition-by-Components: A Theory of Human Image Understanding.”
Psychological Review
, 94 (2), p. 127.
Irving Biederman. (1987) “Recognition-by-Components: A Theory of Human Image Understanding.”
Psychological Review
, 94 (2), p. 127.
286 about one million TV episodes:
“IMDB Statistics.” Internet Movie Database.
http://www.imdb.com/database_statistics
.
“IMDB Statistics.” Internet Movie Database.
http://www.imdb.com/database_statistics
.
286 different songs have been recorded:
“iTunes A to Z.” Apple Inc.
http://www.apple.com/itunes/features/
.
“iTunes A to Z.” Apple Inc.
http://www.apple.com/itunes/features/
.
286 cataloged 50 million different chemicals:
Paul Livingstone. (2009, September 8) “50 Million Compounds and Counting.”
R&D Mag
.
http://www.rdmag.com/Community/Blogs/RDBlog/50-million-compounds-and-counting/
.
Paul Livingstone. (2009, September 8) “50 Million Compounds and Counting.”
R&D Mag
.
http://www.rdmag.com/Community/Blogs/RDBlog/50-million-compounds-and-counting/
.
286 “it literally was one of a kind”:
David Nye. (2006)
Technology Matters: Questions to Live With
. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 72-73.
David Nye. (2006)
Technology Matters: Questions to Live With
. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 72-73.
286 paralyzing consumers:
Barry Schwartz. (2004)
The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less
. New York: Ecco, pp. 9-10.
Barry Schwartz. (2004)
The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less
. New York: Ecco, pp. 9-10.
286 “the less likely they are to make a choice”:
Barry Schwartz. (2005, January 5) “Choose and Lose.”
New York Times
.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/05/opinion/05schwartz.html
.
Barry Schwartz. (2005, January 5) “Choose and Lose.”
New York Times
.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/05/opinion/05schwartz.html
.
287 “even be said to tyrannize”:
Barry Schwartz. (2004)
The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less.
New York: Ecco, p. 2.
Barry Schwartz. (2004)
The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less.
New York: Ecco, p. 2.
287 U.S. Patent Office by 2060!:
Kevin Kelly. (2009) Calculation extrapolated by the author based on historic U.S. Patent data.
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/h_counts.htm
.
Kevin Kelly. (2009) Calculation extrapolated by the author based on historic U.S. Patent data.
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/h_counts.htm
.
287 different books in English:
Library of Congress. (2009). “About the Library.”
http://www.loc.gov/about/generalinfo.html
.
Library of Congress. (2009). “About the Library.”
http://www.loc.gov/about/generalinfo.html
.
290 “mere day's walk away”:
Pierre Lemonnier. (1993)
Technological Choices: Transformation in Material Cultures Since the Neolithic.
New York: Routledge, p. 74.
Pierre Lemonnier. (1993)
Technological Choices: Transformation in Material Cultures Since the Neolithic.
New York: Routledge, p. 74.
290 “logic of material efficiency or progress”:
Ibid., p. 24.
Ibid., p. 24.
290 released by a passing pig:
Ibid.
Ibid.
291 the physics of waterwheels are constant:
Ibid.
Ibid.
292 bone cells, skins cells, and brain cells:
Stuart Kauffman. (1993)
The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection in Evolution
. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 407.
Stuart Kauffman. (1993)
The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection in Evolution
. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 407.
293 Specialized Cell Types:
Data from James W. Valentine, Allen G. Collins, et al. (1994) “Morphological Complexity Increase in Metazoans.”
Paleobiology
, 20 (2), p. 134.
http://paleobiol.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/20/2/131
.
Data from James W. Valentine, Allen G. Collins, et al. (1994) “Morphological Complexity Increase in Metazoans.”
Paleobiology
, 20 (2), p. 134.
http://paleobiol.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/20/2/131
.
297 mind and hand of humans:
Peter M. Vitousek, Harold A. Mooney, et al. (1997) “Human Domination of Earth's Ecosystems.”
Science
, 277 (5325).
Peter M. Vitousek, Harold A. Mooney, et al. (1997) “Human Domination of Earth's Ecosystems.”
Science
, 277 (5325).
298 Accelerating Pace of Technology Adoption:
Peter Brimelow. (1997, July 7) “The Silent Boom.”
Forbes
, 160 (1).
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/1997/0707/6001170a.html
.
Peter Brimelow. (1997, July 7) “The Silent Boom.”
Forbes
, 160 (1).
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/1997/0707/6001170a.html
.
300 throughout the manufacturing industry:
“Electric Motor.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Electric_motor&oldid=344778362
.
“Electric Motor.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Electric_motor&oldid=344778362
.
301 Ubiquitous Motors:
David A. Hounshell. (1984)
From the American System to Mass Production 1800-1932: The Development of Manufacturing Technology in the United States.
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, p. 232.
David A. Hounshell. (1984)
From the American System to Mass Production 1800-1932: The Development of Manufacturing Technology in the United States.
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, p. 232.
301 Ad for the Home Motor:
Donald Norman. (1998)
The Invisible Computer: Why Good Products Can Fail, the Personal Computer Is So Complex, and Information Appliances Are the Solution.
Cambridge: MIT Press, p. 50.
Donald Norman. (1998)
The Invisible Computer: Why Good Products Can Fail, the Personal Computer Is So Complex, and Information Appliances Are the Solution.
Cambridge: MIT Press, p. 50.
302 to whip cream and beat eggs:
Donald Norman. (1998)
The Invisible Computer: Why Good Products Can Fail, the Personal Computer Is So Complex, and Information Appliances Are the Solution
. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Donald Norman. (1998)
The Invisible Computer: Why Good Products Can Fail, the Personal Computer Is So Complex, and Information Appliances Are the Solution
. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
304 “two Americas” emerging:
Don Tapscott. (1999)
Growing up Digital
. New York: McGraw-Hill, p. 258. Referring to Brad Fay's research for the 1996 Roper Starch report “The Two Americas: Tools for Succeeding in a Polarized Marketplace.”
Don Tapscott. (1999)
Growing up Digital
. New York: McGraw-Hill, p. 258. Referring to Brad Fay's research for the 1996 Roper Starch report “The Two Americas: Tools for Succeeding in a Polarized Marketplace.”
307 must be described as an act of free will:
Freeman J. Dyson. (1988)
Infinite in All Directions
. New York: Basic Books, p. 297.
Freeman J. Dyson. (1988)
Infinite in All Directions
. New York: Basic Books, p. 297.
307 shift of spin direction in cosmic particles:
J. Conway. (2009) “The Strong Free Will Theorem.”
Notices of the American Mathematical Society,
56 (2).
J. Conway. (2009) “The Strong Free Will Theorem.”
Notices of the American Mathematical Society,
56 (2).
308 quantum effects happen in all matter:
Stuart Kauffman. (2009) “Five Problems in the Philosophy of Mind.” Edge: The Third Culture, (297).
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/kauffman09/kauffman09_index.html
.
Stuart Kauffman. (2009) “Five Problems in the Philosophy of Mind.” Edge: The Third Culture, (297).
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/kauffman09/kauffman09_index.html
.
308 the ultimate explanation of our own:
Conway. “The Strong Free Will Theorem.”
Conway. “The Strong Free Will Theorem.”
309 “with more freedom we can be more human”:
Richard Rhodes. (1999)
Visions of Technology: Machines, Systems and the Human World.
New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., p. 266.
Richard Rhodes. (1999)
Visions of Technology: Machines, Systems and the Human World.
New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., p. 266.
310 brain/arm combo:
(1998) “âQuick-Thinking' Robot Arm Helps MIT Researchers Catch on to Brain Function.” MITnews.
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1998/wam.html
.
(1998) “âQuick-Thinking' Robot Arm Helps MIT Researchers Catch on to Brain Function.” MITnews.
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1998/wam.html
.
311 on this planet are parasitic:
Peter W. Price. (1977) “General Concepts on the Evolutionary Biology of Parasites.”
Evolution
, 31 (2).
http://www.jstor.org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/stable/2407761
.
Peter W. Price. (1977) “General Concepts on the Evolutionary Biology of Parasites.”
Evolution
, 31 (2).
http://www.jstor.org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/stable/2407761
.
314 collaboratively write and edit material:
Ward Cunningham. “Publicly Available Wiki Software Sorted by Name.”
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiEngines
.
Ward Cunningham. “Publicly Available Wiki Software Sorted by Name.”
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiEngines
.
314 by YouTube each month in the United States alone:
comScore. (2009) “YouTube Surpasses 100 Million U.S. Viewers for the First Time.” ComScore.
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/3/YouTube_Surpasses_100_Million_US_Viewers
.
comScore. (2009) “YouTube Surpasses 100 Million U.S. Viewers for the First Time.” ComScore.
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/3/YouTube_Surpasses_100_Million_US_Viewers
.
314 stories deposited on fan-fiction sites:
M. E. Curtin. (2007) In discussion with the author's researcher. See M. E. Curtin's Alternate Universes for her earlier stats:
http://www.alternateuniverses.com/ffnstats.html
.
M. E. Curtin. (2007) In discussion with the author's researcher. See M. E. Curtin's Alternate Universes for her earlier stats:
http://www.alternateuniverses.com/ffnstats.html
.
315 with categories, labels, and keywords:
Heather Champ. (2008) “3 Billion!” Flickr Blog.
http://blog.flickr.net/en/2008/11/03/3-billion/
.
Heather Champ. (2008) “3 Billion!” Flickr Blog.
http://blog.flickr.net/en/2008/11/03/3-billion/
.
316 the release of the Fedora Linux 9 software:
Amanda McPherson, Brian Proffitt, et al. (2008) “Estimating the Total Development Cost of a Linux Distribution.” The Linux Foundation.
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/publications/estimatinglinux
. php.
Amanda McPherson, Brian Proffitt, et al. (2008) “Estimating the Total Development Cost of a Linux Distribution.” The Linux Foundation.
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/publications/estimatinglinux
. php.
319 innate attraction to living things:
Stephen R. Kellert and Edward O. Wilson. (1993)
The Biophilia Hypothesis
. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.
Stephen R. Kellert and Edward O. Wilson. (1993)
The Biophilia Hypothesis
. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.
319 Ergonomic Scissors:
Generic tailor's scissors, unknown origin.
Generic tailor's scissors, unknown origin.
320 one began to pray to it:
Langdon Winner. (1977)
Autonomous Technology: Technics-Out-of-Control as a Theme in Political Thought
. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, p. 44.
Langdon Winner. (1977)
Autonomous Technology: Technics-Out-of-Control as a Theme in Political Thought
. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, p. 44.
321 to a world where no one is:
Joan Didion. (1990).
The White Album.
New York: Macmillan, p. 198.
Joan Didion. (1990).
The White Album.
New York: Macmillan, p. 198.
322 “passion and utility” of clocks snag some:
Mark Dow. (June 8, 2009) “A Beautiful Description of Technophilia [Weblog comment].” Technophilia. The Technium.
http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2009/06/technophilia.php#comments
.
Mark Dow. (June 8, 2009) “A Beautiful Description of Technophilia [Weblog comment].” Technophilia. The Technium.
http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2009/06/technophilia.php#comments
.
322 “we love the objects we think with”:
Sherry Turkle. (2007)
Evocative Objects: Things We Think With
. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, p. 3.
Sherry Turkle. (2007)
Evocative Objects: Things We Think With
. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, p. 3.
325 so small as to be invisible:
Nigel R. Franks and Simon Conway Morris. (2008) “Convergent Evolution, Serendipity, and Intelligence for the Simple Minded.”
The Deep Structure of Biology
, ed. Simon Conway Morris. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press.
Nigel R. Franks and Simon Conway Morris. (2008) “Convergent Evolution, Serendipity, and Intelligence for the Simple Minded.”
The Deep Structure of Biology
, ed. Simon Conway Morris. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press.
325 only discovered by humans in 1733:
J. F. Ramley. (1969) “Buffon's Needle Problem.”
American Mathematical Monthly,
76 (8).
J. F. Ramley. (1969) “Buffon's Needle Problem.”
American Mathematical Monthly,
76 (8).
326 flies away from their hind parts:
Donald R. Griffin. (2001)
Animal Minds: Beyond Cognition to Consciousness
. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 12.
Donald R. Griffin. (2001)
Animal Minds: Beyond Cognition to Consciousness
. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 12.
326 so as not to discourage them:
Ibid.
Ibid.
326 our definitions of animal intelligence:
Anthony Trewavas. (2008) “Aspects of Plant Intelligence: Convergence and Evolution.”
The Deep Structure of Biology,
ed. Simon Conway Morris. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press.
Anthony Trewavas. (2008) “Aspects of Plant Intelligence: Convergence and Evolution.”
The Deep Structure of Biology,
ed. Simon Conway Morris. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press.
326 “one of the lower animals”:
Ibid., p. 80.
Ibid., p. 80.
327 food in a maze, much like a rat:
Ibid.
Ibid.
327 other dolphins new to the pool:
Donald R. Griffin. (2001)
Animal Minds: Beyond Cognition to Consciousness.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 229.
Donald R. Griffin. (2001)
Animal Minds: Beyond Cognition to Consciousness.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 229.
328 “not by an ornithologist but by a psychiatrist”:
Anthony Trewavas. (2008) “Aspects of Plant Intelligence: Convergence and Evolution.”
The Deep Structure of Biology,
West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press, p. 131.
Anthony Trewavas. (2008) “Aspects of Plant Intelligence: Convergence and Evolution.”
The Deep Structure of Biology,
West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press, p. 131.
329 minds contain a billion transistors each:
Jim Held, Jerry Bautista, et al. (2006) “From a Few Cores to Many: A Tera-Scale Computing Research Overview.”
http://download.intel.com/research/platform/terascale/terascale_ovierview_paper.pdf
Jim Held, Jerry Bautista, et al. (2006) “From a Few Cores to Many: A Tera-Scale Computing Research Overview.”
http://download.intel.com/research/platform/terascale/terascale_ovierview_paper.pdf
329 brain of a sperm whale:
Lori Marino. (2004) “Cetacean Brain Evolution: Multiplication Generates Complexity.”
International Journal of Comparative Psychology
, 17 (1).
Lori Marino. (2004) “Cetacean Brain Evolution: Multiplication Generates Complexity.”
International Journal of Comparative Psychology
, 17 (1).
330 about 100 quadrillion (10
17
) transistors:
Kevin Kelly. (2008) “Infoporn: Tap into the 12-Million-Teraflop Handheld Megacomputer.”
Wired
, 16 (7).
http://www.wired.com/special_multimedia/2008/st_infoporn_1607
.
17
) transistors:
Kevin Kelly. (2008) “Infoporn: Tap into the 12-Million-Teraflop Handheld Megacomputer.”
Wired
, 16 (7).
http://www.wired.com/special_multimedia/2008/st_infoporn_1607
.
330 generates nearly 20 exabytes of data:
Ibid.
Ibid.
331 approximately 2.7 billion cell phones:
Portio Research. (2007) “Mobile Messaging Futures 2007-2012.”
http://www.portioresearch.com/MMF07-12.html
.
Portio Research. (2007) “Mobile Messaging Futures 2007-2012.”
http://www.portioresearch.com/MMF07-12.html
.
331 1.3 billion land phones:
Central Intelligence Agency. (2009) “World Communications.”
World Factbook
.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html
.
Central Intelligence Agency. (2009) “World Communications.”
World Factbook
.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html
.
331 27 million data servers:
Jonathan Koomey. (2007) “Estimating Total Power Consumption by Servers in the U.S. and the World.” Oakland: Analytics Press.
www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/DownloadableAssets/Koomey_Study-v7.pdf
.
Jonathan Koomey. (2007) “Estimating Total Power Consumption by Servers in the U.S. and the World.” Oakland: Analytics Press.
www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/DownloadableAssets/Koomey_Study-v7.pdf
.
331 80 million wireless PDAs:
eMarketer. (2002) “PDA Market Report: Global Sales, Usage and Trends,” p. 1. Citing Gartner Dataquest.
http://www.info-edge.com/samples/EM-2058sam.pdf
. Based on the cumulative total of 2003-2005.
eMarketer. (2002) “PDA Market Report: Global Sales, Usage and Trends,” p. 1. Citing Gartner Dataquest.
http://www.info-edge.com/samples/EM-2058sam.pdf
. Based on the cumulative total of 2003-2005.
331 holds about a trillion pages:
Marcus P. Zillman. (2006) “Deep Web Research 2007.” LLRX.
http://www.llrx.com/features/deepweb2007.htm
.
Marcus P. Zillman. (2006) “Deep Web Research 2007.” LLRX.
http://www.llrx.com/features/deepweb2007.htm
.
331 synaptic links to thousands of other neurons:
David A. Drachman. (2005) “Do We Have Brain to Spare?”
Neurology
, 64 (12).
http://www.neurology.org
.
David A. Drachman. (2005) “Do We Have Brain to Spare?”
Neurology
, 64 (12).
http://www.neurology.org
.
331 links to 60 other pages:
Andrei Z. Broder, Marc Najork, et al. (2003) “Efficient URL Caching for World Wide Web Crawling.”
Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on the World Wide Web,
Budapest, Hungary, May 20-24, p. 5.
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=775152.775247
.
Andrei Z. Broder, Marc Najork, et al. (2003) “Efficient URL Caching for World Wide Web Crawling.”
Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on the World Wide Web,
Budapest, Hungary, May 20-24, p. 5.
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=775152.775247
.
332 several quintillion online transistors:
Semiconductor Industry Association. (2007) “SIA Hails 60th Birthday of Microelectronics Industry.” Semiconductor Industry Association.
http://www.sia-online.org/cs/papers_publications/press_release_detail?pressrelease.id=96
.
Semiconductor Industry Association. (2007) “SIA Hails 60th Birthday of Microelectronics Industry.” Semiconductor Industry Association.
http://www.sia-online.org/cs/papers_publications/press_release_detail?pressrelease.id=96
.
332 hundreds of exabytes of real-life data:
John Gantz, David Reinsel, et al. (2007) “The Expanding Digital Universe: A Forecast of Worldwide Information Growth Through 2010.”
http://www.emc.com/collateral/analyst-reports/expanding-digitalidc-white-paper
. pdf.
John Gantz, David Reinsel, et al. (2007) “The Expanding Digital Universe: A Forecast of Worldwide Information Growth Through 2010.”
http://www.emc.com/collateral/analyst-reports/expanding-digitalidc-white-paper
. pdf.
334 by a few million bits:
Stephen Hawking. (1996) “Life in the Universe.”
http://hawking.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&
view=article&id=65.
Stephen Hawking. (1996) “Life in the Universe.”
http://hawking.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&
view=article&id=65.
334 new information to the technium each year:
Bret Swanson and George Gilder. (2008) “Estimating the Exaflood.” Discovery Institute.
http://www.discovery.org/a/4428
.
Bret Swanson and George Gilder. (2008) “Estimating the Exaflood.” Discovery Institute.
http://www.discovery.org/a/4428
.
334 an exponential curve for over 100 years:
Andrew Odlyzko. (2000) “The History of Communications and Its Implications for the Internet.” SSRN eLibrary.
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=235284
.
Andrew Odlyzko. (2000) “The History of Communications and Its Implications for the Internet.” SSRN eLibrary.
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=235284
.
335 when science began:
Derek Price. (1965)
Little Science, Big Science.
New York: Columbia University Press.
Derek Price. (1965)
Little Science, Big Science.
New York: Columbia University Press.
337 the overthrow of scientific paradigms:
Freeman J. Dyson. (2000)
The Sun, the Genome, and the Internet: Tools of Scientific Revolutions
. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 15.
Freeman J. Dyson. (2000)
The Sun, the Genome, and the Internet: Tools of Scientific Revolutions
. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 15.
Other books
The Sixes by Kate White
In the Language of Miracles by Rajia Hassib
Alif the Unseen by Wilson, G. Willow
The Rift Walker by Clay Griffith, Susan Griffith
A Chance at Love by Beverly Jenkins
Taking the Chequered Flag by Pam Harvey
In Search of the Dove by Rebecca York
Too Quiet in Brooklyn by Anderson, Susan Russo
Irons (Norfolk #1) by Mj Fields
Embrace the Desire by Spring Stevens